COAL AND STEEL STRIKES

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 66, Issue 46, 4 December 1945, Page 4

COAL AND STEEL STRIKES

PRIME MINISTER TO INTERVENE RECEIVES DEPUTATION TOMORROW. (NZ Press Association— Copyright.) (Ree. 1.30 p.m.) SYDNEY, This Day. The Prime Minister. Mr J. B. Chifley, has agreed to receive tomorrow afternoon a union delega- ■ tion which will ask him to call a conference to settle the steel, coal, and shipping strikes. Mr Chifley agreed to intervene after the New South Wales miners and interstate seamen had struck ini sympat, y with the men on Strike at the Broken Hill Proprietary steel works The union deputation will ask M Chifley to arrange a conference between the Broken Hill Proprietary and the Ironworkers’ Association to settle the steel strike. Meanwhile the Australian-wide shipping strike and the New South Wales coal and steel strikes will continue pending .the outcome of the proposed settlement conference. ' 'A decision to approach the Prime Minister was made at, a conference between the : Australian Council oi Trade Unions’ Emergency Committee and the New South Wales Labour Council Committee appointed to handle the strikes at Port Kembla anc Newcastle. The decision that tie unions should approach Mr Chifley was unanimous. Mr P. J. Clarey, president of the Australian Council oi Trade Unions, will lead the deputation. The president of the Miners’ Federation, Mr H Wells, will represent /the' miners, and the State secretary of the Ironworkers’ Association, Mr McPhulips, will represent the ; steel workers. The Seamen’s Union .will not be directly- represented. ■ The Newcastle branch .of .the -Ironh workers’ Association last night iecommended that the union should seek re-registration in the State Arbitration Court. The union was deregistered before the strikes at Port Kembla and Newcastle began. When these disputes arose the Broken Hill Proprietary refused to! negotiate with _ tie union because it was de-registered.

Shortages Likely Even if a settlement is reached this week, it is not likely that the seamen, miners or steelworkers will resume work before Monday, and some form pi gas and electricity rationing is inevitable in Sydney. WoIQC Drastic cuts in all New South Wales \ railways will be announced to-day. Tram and ferry services will also be curtailed. If the-country trains cease Sydney will be without meat. MUK supplies will be cut to about one quarter, and there will be shortages of vegetables. # . , Immediate repercussion in otner States folowed the decision of the miners and seamen to strike. In Adelaide all industry will close down tonight, Gas rationing introduced m Melbourne is more severe than that imposed two months ago, and tne chief secretary, Mr Slater, said that without a large measure of public cooperation, the complete cessation or ga& supplies may occur. Severe cuts in the railway services and a somewhat less drastic, reduction of tramway services are being worked out in South Australia. It is estimated that the dosing of industry in Adelaide will mean unemployment for 50,000 men. Forty vessels, are already tied up or will be tied up very soon by the seamen’s decision not to man ships carrying New South Wales coal or products of the Broken Hill Proprietary and Australian Iron and Steel, Ltd. Many other vessels will be held up in ports in all States as stocks of hunker coal become exhausted. The Ironworkers’ Union has ordered a 24-hour stoppage today, but 500 Sydney metropolitan members of the union are expected to defy the direction.